Artisan Sourdough Loaf
Servings: 1 loaf
Easy artisan sourdough bread recipe for beginners with clear steps, flexible timelines, and pro tips to bake a perfect, crusty loaf at home.
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Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Proofing Basket/Banneton You can use a bowl lined with a tea towel if necessary!
- Baking Thermometer
- Scoring Blade/Sharp Knife
- Dutch Oven
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 360 g All Purpose OR Bread Flour (flour must be at least 11.5% protein)
- 60 g Whole Wheat Flour
- 305 g Water (room temperature)
- 85 g Active Sourdough Starter (fed starter used at it's peak)
- 8 g Fine Salt
Instructions
MIX
- In a medium-sized bowl, add your active (risen and at its peak) sourdough starter and water. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or spatula to create a milky liquid.
- Add the all-purpose/bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Using your hand, mix the dough very thoroughly. Mixing the dough should take a few minutes to ensure there are no dry bits of flour or lumps. Ensure all of the salt has dissolved.
- Cover with a plastic covering or a damp tea towel.
FOLD
- Allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- After the rest, begin your stretch-and-folds. To perform a stretch-and-fold, start by wetting your hands. Wet hands will keep the dough from sticking to you. Grab the edge of the dough and pull it upward until it begins to resist. Do not allow the dough to rip or tear. Repeat this motion around the perimeter of the dough until each edge has been stretched.
- After your first fold, take the dough’s internal temperature. This will help you determine how long bulk fermentation will last. When finished, place the cover over the bowl, and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform a total of 3-5 stretch-and-folds, each 30 minutes apart. Make sure you take your dough’s temperature one last time after your final fold.
BULK FERMENT
- Allow the dough to bulk ferment until it is fully proofed. This length of time is dependent on the dough’s internal temperature. Follow the times shown below as a good rule of thumb. The allotted time shown is the total amount of time from the moment you mix the dough to when the dough is shaped and placed in the refrigerator for a cold proof. Bulk Fermentation Guide (from initial mix to cold proof)80°F: 5.5–6 hour75°F: 7–8 hour70°F: 11–12 hours65°F: ~16 hoursThis temperature chart is a helpful guideline, not an exact science. Because we do not live in a giant proofing box, your dough will want to naturally match the ambient temperature over time. For example, if your dough is 80°F and your house is 68°F, your dough will take longer than 6 hours to proof. Meeting the chart in the middle and honing your baker's eye is essential!*See additional notes below for further bulk fermentation guidance.
PRE-SHAPE/REST
- Thirty minutes before bulk fermentation is complete, pre-shape your dough. To do this, remove the dough from your bowl/proofing container. Allow the dough to come out all in one piece, either by letting it slowly release from the bowl or by gently scraping the dough out.
- Place a bench scraper underneath the dough at a 45° angle. Using circular motions, scrape the dough under itself and toward you to create a round, tight ball of dough. The goal is to create a uniform ball of dough with smooth, tight surface tension.
- Sprinkle the dough with a bit of flour, and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.
FINAL SHAPE
- Sprinkle a banneton/proofing basket with rice flour. Then, dust a light coat of flour on your shaping surface.
- After the dough has finished its bench rest, use the bench scraper to flip the dough upside down onto your floured surface. The part of the dough that was touching the counter during the bench rest should now be face up.
- Fold the left side of the dough into the center, then do the same with the right side.
- Rotate the dough 90°. Scoop the dough into your hands and fold it in half to seal the left and right sides together.
- Place into your banneton with the seam side up.
- Cover the banneton and place it in the fridge.
COLD PROOF
- Allow the dough to cold proof in the refrigerator for 12-36 hours.
BAKE
- Preheat your oven to 500°F with a dutch oven inside.
- Once your oven reaches 500°F, take the dough out of the refrigerator and flip the dough onto a cut piece of parchment paper. The seam side up in the banneton should now be touching the parchment paper, leaving the smooth side of the dough face up.
- Score your loaf. You can be creative with decorative scoring, but it is essential that you have one deep score down the length of the loaf. This gives the bread a clear spot to expand. Without this deep score, your loaf will likely burst in random places. When scoring your loaf, use a sharp blade and score at a 45° angle. You want to score about 0.5” deep. Using a sharp blade and a quick motion will be very helpful.
- Move the loaf on the parchment paper into the hot dutch oven. Throw 2-3 ice cubes inside (under the parchment so that it’s not touching the dough). Place the lid on, and bake the loaf at 500°F for 23 minutes.
- After 23 minutes, lower the heat to 450°F and remove the lid. Continue baking for another 15-18 minutes, depending on your preferred color.
- Remove the loaf from the dutch oven after baking and allow to cool. You want your bread to be completely cool before cutting into it (typically a few hours) to avoid a gummy texture.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
A few critical notes on bulk fermentation timing:
- Perfectly proofed dough should be risen in size, bubbly on top, NOT sticky, and easy to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It should want to stick to itself more than you!
- The chart is a general guideline, not an exact science. It is crucial in sourdough baking to learn what the dough looks and feels like when it is fully proofed. That skill will come with time, but the chart provides a great starting point.
- The allotted time shown in the chart is the total amount of time from the moment you mix the dough to when the dough is shaped and placed in the refrigerator for a cold proof.
- The temperature of your home and seasonal changes will also affect your rise time. For example, if the dough is 70°F but your house is 80°F, the dough will rise faster than 12 hours. If you are in a hot and humid climate, your dough will likely rise faster.